Packers 2017 Recap: WR Davante Adams
The Packers best receiver this season has suffered three concussions during games over fourteen months.
Davante Adams’ first concussion came after an October loss to the Cowboys in 2016. He returned four days later to play in a Thursday night game against the Bears.
In 2017’s Week 4, he suffered a second concussion after a devastating hit by Bears linebacker Danny Trevathan. Ten days later, he played in the team’s next game.
Finally, in Week 15 Adams suffered his third concussion after another brutal hit, this time from Carolina’s Thomas Davis. He would sit out of the season’s two remaining games.
Is Adams worried about his long-term future? “No. I’m 100 percent fine,” he said after his third concussion in fourteen months. “It’s not anything. It happened twice in a year. It’s more mental and upset that I couldn’t play in the game to be there for my teammates. But definitely not worried about my health long term.”
2017 Stats
- Appeared and started in 14 games
- 74 receptions (117 targets), 885 yards, 10 touchdowns
Expectations going into the season: High
Expectations were: Exceeded
What we said after last season
Packers 2016 Recap: WR Davante Adams – Before 2016, Davante Adams had only caught four touchdown passes over two years. This year, he more than tripled his career totals with 12 scoring grabs. After an ankle injury slowed him down through most of last season, Adams arrived in a triumphant way this year.
Analysis: Adams dominates in contract year, rewarded with new deal
Once Aaron Rodgers went down, backup quarterback Brett Hundley leaned heavily on Davante Adams. The receiver caught 36 receptions for 459 yards and three touchdowns from Hundley, including this walk-off winner against the Cleveland Browns:
Adams caught another game-winning touchdown pass in 2017. Trailing by three against the Dallas Cowboys, Rodgers led the Packers down the field with just over a minute left. With no time outs and Green Bay mere yards away from the end zone, Rodgers zipped a bullet to Adams for the score:
One reason why Adams has been in position to make these crucial catches is his outstanding route running. The receiver is not the biggest or fastest receiver in the NFL, but he runs his routes so precisely that it’s difficult for defenders to cover him effectively.
Before the 2017 season began, we speculated what to expect from Adams in a contract year. Both of our predictions came true, as Adams produced at about the same level as his breakout 2016 campaign and saw slightly fewer targets because of new weapons on offense.
The two sides agreed on a four-year, $58 million extension that keeps the receiver in Green Bay for the long-term. Because the extension was completed during the 2017 regular season, the Packers leveraged some of their remaining $10 million in salary cap space.
